The Huntsman - The Winter War (2016), directed by Cedric Nicolas-Troyan

The story is a bit predictable, with suspense undermined by the obvious, but is nevertheless entertaining, with plenty of action, some romance and a little humour. A very strong team of British actors, including Sheridan Smith, Alexandra Roach, and comics Rob Brydon and Nick Frost, supports the stellar main cast, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Jessica Chastain and Emily Blunt. Lighter in tone than the original Huntsman movie, Snow White (Kristen Stewart) is only referenced in absentia. The very lovely Hemsworth sustains his vaguely Scottish accent better in this one and the quite lovely Chastain does ok with her vaguely Irish accent and is more convincing in the action scenes. One notable aspect of the film is that three of its four main characters are female and are played by actresses over 30, and one of them is partnered by a male of the same age; kind of refreshingly realistic, as opposed to the common Hollywood narrative of mostly men, partnered by women more than 20 years' younger. The ending, ostensibly comprehensive, clearly leaves the way open for another follow-up – should the box office demand. It may happen.